We’re rounding up LessThan3’s week in Ibiza by looking at one of the more underground promoters on the island. With the likes of Cream, ASOT, and Full On flying the flag for trance, it’s clear the genre still has a strong presence. But when it comes to the real underground names–both old and new–Driftwood are the undisputed kings of trance on Ibiza.

We kicked things off on Monday for the Driftwood boat party, so popular that the event actually took place across two separate boats. Departing from San Antonio, the packed upper deck was entertained by the Space Brothers, Signum, and Sam Mitcham until the sun was just a few degrees above the Mediterranean horizon. The highlight of the event was evident in the massive Irish crowd–the green, white and orange tricolour flanking the ship as Bryan Kearney was transported from one vessel to the other on a little motorboat. His set nearly caused the ship to jump out of the water, with some astounding uplifting trance belting across the San Antonio Bay as the blood-red sun sunk into the horizon… the perfect introduction to the island for those looking to experience its trancier side.

Captured

Despite the well deserved reputation surrounding the Monday boat parties, Tuesday was when Driftwood really came into its own, with a massive wealth of trance legends playing the Captured Festival at the old Zoo in Benimussa Park. The venue is as bizarre as it sounds, literally an abandoned zoo that never opened, now holding two open air stages, the smaller of which sits in what was originally intended to be a seal enclosure. The lineup was an astounding trip across trance music royalty, with Solarstone, Andy Moor, Ben Gold, Orkidea, and Menno De Jong all gracing the stages with a healthy mix of modern and classic uplifting trance. What was perhaps most special, however, was the fact Captured offers a true taste of open-air daytime clubbing, something that isn’t anywhere near as common on Ibiza as it once was.

Sunk

After the festival wound up and moved on to Sunk at Privilege for the after-party, it became clear that Driftwood has quickly become a solid and reliable name on the island, the perfect way for trance fans to experience their own unique Ibiza. While house may still have the stronghold on the island, trance has always been a core part of the clubbing scene on Ibiza, and if the Driftwood guys have anything to do with it, it always will be.